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Don’t worry if people stare at you incredulously when you mention that you are going to Goa in the middle of the rains. I met with the same reaction. “Oh, but the bus will take hours to reach.” exclaimed friends. Do exactly what I did: ignore them!

The journey to Goa itself is like travel through a time warp. The way to this small coastal state is covered with thick, lush, green forest. In summers, the green turns to a dull brown, and everything around seems burnt out. But during this season, the flowers are in full bloom, and the green landscape is broken with flowers in all shades of colours. On both sides of the Mumbai-Goa highway are small, tiny, fishing villages, some of them with houses resembling ones in that other coastal paradise: Kerala.

Men with tanned bodies dressed in lungis or shorts, women in their traditional Koli (fishing tribe native to the Mumbai-Goa coast) attire, with cane basket on their head, Christian women with their shiny, short frocks, boats bobbing in the small river that is part of every village. “Time has stood still here. I have grown up in Mumbai but since I was a kid I have travelled to Goa every year. And it looks the same even 55 years later,” says Rita Gonsalves, who shares the bus booth with me.

The first sign you have reached Goa: small liquor shop on the outskirts, with palms and alcohol bottles painted on it. Houses with sloping roofs (so that rains can slide down them), cathedrals, temples, narrow gullies, roads that seem to go on and on, palm trees and paddy fields lead the way to Panjim, Goa’s capital.

Panjim is just like another bustling small town – shops, weekly bazaars, bus stops and restaurants form a part of its landscape. You can stay in Panjim itself. But we would advise you to choose Calangute, Candolim, Baga or villages in North or South Goa for your stay. Calangute, Candolim and Baga are main tourist centres, and are fringed by beaches of the same name. I stayed at a hotel in Calangute at a dirt-cheap rate – Rs 250 a night. In peak season, this goes up to Rs 1000 a night. But there several better options to choose from, from small resorts to five star hotels.

There is nothing more pleasurable as walking in the rains. Unlike a metro like Mumbai, where monsoons means collapsed transport and clogged roads, in Goa rain is refreshing. Just stand and let the droplets seep into your skin. For miles, you don’t see a soul. Mondays in Goa are the same as Sundays or Tuesday or Saturdays.

The other delightful pass time: sit in a seaside café, talk to each other, walk down the empty road hand-in-hand, read a book, drink feni (or a beer if you like), or stare into the horizon, beyond the sea, where huge ships appear as tiny boats fighting the waves.

Walking down the isolated, squeaky-clean Goan beaches is an experience in itself. Do it either in early mornings or when the sun is just about to set. The red and orange of the sky merges with the blue and green of the sea. Nothing soothes like the feel of soft sand, the rustling of the palm trees and the sound of waves. If you are the brave sort, try taking a walk in the night, when the stars are out in full force.

If travelling is on your agenda, hire a bike or a car and see a bit of the beach state. Travel across its emerald paddy farms, through slats of palm-fronds, skimming its wide rivers and the vast Arabian Sea, all the way from secluded Palolem in the farthest south to Querim in the craggy, spray-swept north.

South Goa is also home to several beautiful cathedrals, churches and temples, especially the Shanta Durga temple, the only one in India to be dedicated to the peaceful version of Durga. The idea is: there is more to Goa then just dressing up like a bunch of hippies and hanging out on its beaches. Discover its quite beaches, its ancient churches and its equally antique villages of Arpora and Anjuna, Assagaon and Siolim, or the peak of the beautiful island of Choraon in the Mandovi where a frail Christ the King raises His arms in a marble embrace towards a wide valley.

Take the yoga therapy, traditional Thai and Swedish Eslin massages on offer, and the bonfires with unplugged jam sessions played out in its several cafes.

Watching Dolphins:

No you can’t see dolphins during the rains. For this, you will need to go in the peak season. A lot of fishermen offer their boats for cruises to small islands all around. On the way, you will see loads of dolphins for whom the sea around Goa is home. These fishermen will also take you fishing. Most hotels also arrange for dolphin watching trips at Rs 2000 for the entire day.

Boats will even take you for a romantic rendezvous down the river, for about Rs 500 per person. Spend an entire day on the beach, with each other, some good food and the sea for company.

Adventure Sports:

From water surfing to bungee jumping, Goa offers you a range of adventure sports. There are cruises available with speedboats, canoes, water scooters, fishing gear, scuba diving gear and skin diving gear to enjoy Goa's marine resources and natural beauty. You can try bungee jumping at Paradiso d’ Anjuna on Anjuna beach at 500 per head.

What Else To Do:

Take a tour of Old Goa, Vasco da Gama and Fort Aguada. Take a whirlwind tour of the beaches – Baga with its shacks and colourful sun umbrellas dotting the sand; Anjuna, with its flea market and rave parties that go on all night; Colva with its silver sands and Gujarati women selling jewellery and offering to do henna tattoos; Calangute with its seaside cafes and Candolium with its huge mound of sand and Fort Aguada. Lie on the sand or take a dip the water, but be careful because the currents are strong during the monsoons.

Deepali Nandwani